The Athletic's flagship football podcast is with you six days a week, bringing unrivalled analysis from the biggest stories in world football. New host Emma Paton is joined by the likes of David Ornstein, Adam Crafton, Matt Slater and James Horncastle. The show takes you inside the biggest stories in football told by the best reporters in the business. We cut through the noise to tell you what’s really happening - and why it matters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
What If… VAR was scrapped?
What If is back with a big topic: VAR. Should the contentious technology continue or should the Premier League vote to scrap it?
Emma Paton is joined by Tim Spiers, Dan
Oct 4 45 min
Danny Drinkwater on joining Chelsea, his Man Utd contract & regrets
What is Danny Drinkwater's biggest regret?
Welcome to Truth or Padel Extra, the show where David Ornstein takes on footballers to ask questions he wouldn't be able to in
Oct 3 28 min
Premier League trends, surprises + disappointments so far
The Tactical Preview becomes the Tactical Review during the international break, as we look back at the first five weeks of Premier League action.
Kate Mason is joined b
Oct 2 37 min
How much bigger could the Man City scandal get?
Manchester City and the Premier League have gone to war since The Athletic first revealed they had been found guilty of virtually all the charges facing them last week.
Oct 1 58 min
Explaining Man City's £900m 'sham' finances
Manchester City have been found guilty of artificially inflating their revenues and reducing costs via "sham payments" in the verdict reached by an independent regulatory
Sep 30 43 min
Inside the Man City scandal, with Ornstein and Horncastle
Last week, David Ornstein dropped the exclusive story that Manchester City had been found guilty of almost all their charges relating to the Premier League's financial re
Sep 29 49 min
Man City charges: The fallout + what happens next?
After David Ornstein exclusively revealed Manchester City were found guilty of almost all of the 115 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations
Sep 27 53 min
Gary Neville on the future of punditry & becoming Prime Minister | Truth or Padel Full Interview
Who does Gary Neville think will become the next great pundit? And does he see himself going into politics some day?
Welcome to Truth or Padel Extra, the show where Davi
Sep 26 26 min
EMERGENCY POD: Man City found guilty of almost all charges, with David Ornstein
Manchester City have been found guilty on almost all of the charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.
In this emergency podcast, senior
Sep 25 23 min
Is the Chelsea 'project' stuck?
Clearlake Capital have taken “full control” of Chelsea, purchasing Todd Boehly’s minority stake.
Kate Mason is joined by Matt Slater, Liam Twomey and Rob Green to get in
Sep 24 41 min
Kylian Mbappe interview: Liverpool talks, Mourinho at Madrid and idolising Ronaldo
Kylian Mbappe sits down exclusively with Daniel Taylor from The Athletic for a wide ranging interview at Real Madrid’s training ground.
In a wide ranging conversation, h
Sep 23 42 min
Ornstein latest: Brentford’s recruitment recipe
Brentford continued their excellent start to the season with a 3-0 win over Chelsea on Friday night.
Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein, James Horncas
Sep 22 48 min
How Brighton humbled Arsenal + Spurs hit rock bottom
Arsenal were dealt a humbling on Saturday as Brighton ran riot on the south coast.
Emma Paton is joined by Cerys Jones and Rob Green to get into how Fabian Hurzeler did
Sep 21 45 min
What If... the Super League had happened?
On this week's episode of What If, we're diving into the 2021 European Super League project, which collapsed within a matter of days.
Host Emma Paton is joined by Matt S
Sep 20 49 min
Spurs vs Aston Villa + the importance of pressing
It’s Tactical Preview time, and this week our primary focus is Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa in north London.
Kate Mason is joined by Rob Green and Liam Tharme to bre
Sep 18 47 min
Why does JJ Gabriel want to leave Man United?
Manchester United's 15-year-old academy prospect JJ Gabriel has outlined his desire to leave.
To discuss why and how this situation has developed Kate Mason is joined by
Sep 17 38 min
Are Liverpool adapting to Iraola?
Liverpool saw off Spurs on Tuesday night to make it two wins from two in the cup competitions, but Andoni Iraola’s side have just one Premier League victory so far.
Emma
Sep 16 39 min
Ornstein latest: Why are Spurs still struggling to score?
Spurs have scored zero goals in their first four Premier League games this season. So why are Roberto De Zerbi's side struggling to find the back of the net despite their
Sep 15 45 min
Has Manchester derby defeat put Carrick under pressure?
Erling Haaland settled the 199th Manchester derby with the only goal as Man City came away from Old Trafford with a 1-0 win.
Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Cerys
Sep 14 39 min
What If... Wayne Rooney joined Manchester City in 2010?
Ahead of the Manchester derby, this week on What If... we're talking about Wayne Rooney and the hypothetical around whether he could have possibly made the switch across
Sep 13 50 min
Chart trend
Position in the Sports chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#97#192JulAugSepOct
#3
all-time peak
1
day in the top 3 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where The Athletic FC Podcast ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 4, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
Ayo is hands down the best facilitator on any soccer pod I’ve listened to. The guests are thoughtful and interesting, and I’m always learning more about the wide world of football through this show. Cheers!
Stslat · Oct 2024
I refrain from giving this show a five-star rating only because of the weekend preview which is unlistenable. Awful. I haven’t finished a single episode. I loved the odds on last season show (even though I’m not a betting man) and especially the weekend quizzes which I always paused the pod to try and answer. I literally looked forward to Fridays. Bring Dan Bardell and the crew back, please.
Ayo’s hosting has been consistently excellent. He brings in the right guests and maintains a positive atmosphere, although at times he could delve deeper into challenging questions.
While most journalists associated with the show are impartial, there are a couple of exceptions. George Caulkin’s comparison of Newcastle’s history to Manchester United’s and Simon Hughes’ assertion that Liverpool winning the Premier League would rank among the greatest achievements ever has to be one of the worst takes for me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions though.
Obedfan · Feb 2024
Way better than the garbage you get on TV. It is full of informed and unbiased information and it is my go to football podcast that isn’t specific to my team.
@dannnicus · Jan 2024
I listen to this podcast each episode, but without Mark Chapman as host I’ve noticed the conversation becomes more “banter” and less journalistic and insightful. I can understand if I’m in the minority - my favorite era of this podcast was when Mark and Matt Slater hosted the business of sport every Thursday on this channel (intro music included) - but think the feed could use some more long form or in depth coverage in that vein (which may just mean we need more Adam Crafton)
week 1 stunts · Aug 2023
This Athletic show underperforms compared to its other club specific offerings. Ayo is a solid host but they have too many guest hosts that are a big drop off. Dan in particular is just unpleasant. Constant snide remarks and has nothing nice to say about any club. He strikes me as the kind of English fan that actually takes more joy in other clubs losing than his club winning. If that’s your thing ok but it’s not for me. The show is obsessed with City acting like they are entitled to win the league and constantly run down other clubs like their wins are lucky. Honestly the show is just boring unless you’re a casual bandwagon fan who cheers for whomever is winning the league. There is very little insight or counter narrative provided in this show. Better options out there that are balanced and more interesting.
DomiciledinChicago · Dec 2024
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of The Athletic FC Podcast, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
